Cooling plates for a furnace

ABSTRACT

A cooling plate for a furnace wall including a front plate secured to an outer steel shell and a watertight box detachably secured to the front plate and extending into the furnace wall, the box being open at the front end and the front plate closing the opening with means for feeding water through said front plate into said box and also removing water from the box.

- United States Patent [72] Inventor Herbert A.White..lr- [56] ReferencesCited 2516 Collins Road. Pittsburgh. Pa. 15235 UNlTED STATES TS I2 1 PP NO :1 1195,4461 3/1931 Ross. 266/32 :5 :f 2.722.412 11/1955 Anderson 6161M... .i H 266/32 a e l 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 1 579,958 8/1946 Great Britain 266/32 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-John E. Roethel Attorney-Stanley J. Price, 11'. [54] COOLING PLATES FOR A FURNACE 7 C|aim5v3 Drawing 7, ABSTRACT: A cooling plate for a furnace wall including a [52] U.S. Cl 266/32, front plate secured to an outer steel shell and a watertight box 165/74 detachably secured to the front plate and extending into the [51 Int. Cl C21b 7/10, furnace wall, the box being open at the front end and the front F27b 1/24 plate closing the opening with means for feeding water Field of Search 266/32; through said front plate into said box and also removing water 263/44; 165/134, 74 from the box.

4i\\\\\\\\\ I ZZZ I 22 L\\\ &\\ ;\,i LL///////////////A////////// 1 20 6. 1 I p ix 1 f 4 Ill. J l I ,9 1

r F ,/09 i1 2 8 1 l 1 7 I 2 I I 4 COOLlNG PLATES FOR A FURNACE This invention relates to cooling plates and particularly to coolingplates for blast furnace linings. It is common practice to provide such plates which are embedded in refractory linings as shown in Dovel U.S. Pat. No. 1,703,519; Anderson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,412 and Patton U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,465. These plates are usually hollow copper castings through which cooling water is circulated. Surrounding the refractory lining is a steel shell on which is supported a large number of cooling plate holders for supporting and positioning the cooling plates. All the cooling plates of which I have knowledge taper inwardly toward the interior of the furnace and have large corner radii which makes it difficult to lay the furnace lining bricks. This also results in concentration of metal at the inner end of the cooling plates which are exposed to the furnace burden. Thus there is less cooling where most cooling is required. It is also difficult to make the one piece casting which is the main reason for the taper. Another disadvantage of the present cooling plates is that they cannot be visually inspected. This is particularly disadvantageous because of the common practice of partially relining the furnace by gunning oradding plastic refractory to replace part of the refractory lining which has been destroyed. Since the gunning is done after the furnace has been in use for a considerable period of time some of the cooling plates may be in poor condition or even unuseable. The present practice is to use high pressure water to clean out the cooling plates while in place and then, with the water piping connected in the usual manner, water is supplied to locate leaks. This is far from satisfactory and leaks often occur a short time after the partial lining is finished.

Hence it is an object of my invention to provide a cooling plate which may be visually inspected while in place in the blast furnace wall.

Another object is to provide a cooling plate which. is much less expensive than prior cooling plates.

A further object is to provide a cooling plate of such shape that laying of the brick work is facilitated.

These and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following description and attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation taken from the outside of the furnace and showing my cooling plate installed;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line ll-ll of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line lll-lll of FIG. 2.

As shown in the drawings, reference numeral 1 indicates the refractory wall of a blast furnace having a steel shell 2 surrounding its outer periphery. A number of cooling plate holders 3, only one of which is shown, are secured to shell 2 in any suitable manner and each has an opening 4 therethrough. The parts so far described are conventional and may be varied as desired. A cooling plate or cooler 5 is received in each opening 4. According to my invention the cooling plate 5 includes a watertight box 6 and a front plate 7. The box 6 is preferable made of cast iron, but may be fabricated of steel plate and still retain some of the advantages of my invention. It may also be made of cast copper or bronze, but this increases the cost'of the cooler without increasing its effectiveness. The box has a substantially rectangular vertical longitudinal section and also a substantially rectangular horizontal longitudinal section. However, when a casting, the sides taper slightly, but this taper is less than the usual cooler, because it is easier to cast. Also the corner radii are substantially eliminated. The box 6 is open at its front end and has a closed inner end 8 adjacent the inside of the furnace and a retaining lug 9 at its outer open end. The lug 9 may be continuous or discontinuous and has a plurality of threaded holes 10 therein around its periphery.

The front plate 7 may be made of the same material as the box section 6, but is preferably made'of rolled steel plate. The front plate 7 is preferably shaped as shown so that it can be received in present holders 3 which are so shaped. Thus no modification of existing holders need. be made. However, the front plate 7 may have other shapes and still retain some of the advantages of my invention. A central vertical baffle plate 11 extends from the front opening to a position in the box 6 short of the end 8 so as to provide an opening 12 between the compartments on each side of plate 11. It is preferred to cast the baffle plate 11 integral with the box ti to increase its strength. However the plate ll may be made integral with front plate 7 as by welding a separate steel plate thereto. Holes 13 are provided in front plate 7 to match holes 110. The front plate 7 and box 6 are held together with a gasket 14 therebetween by means of cap screws 15 passing through holes 13 into threaded engagement with holes l0. Other means may also be provided for connecting the front pllate7 and box 6. Two openings 16 are also provided through front plate 7 one on each side of baffle 11 with a feed water line 17 connected to one opening and a water discharge line 18 to the other. A hole 19 is provided in front plate 7 on each side of baffle ll. An eyebolt 20 is received in each hole 19. Lugs 21 are welded to shell 2 above and below the cooler 5 and a keeper bar 22 is attached thereto. The keeper bar 22 has a hole 23 therein for receiving a threaded pin or bolt 24 which passes through the eyes of eyebolts 20 and is secured thereto so as to lock the cooler in place. The locking means are merely illustrative and any suitable means may be used. For example the mechanisms shown in the above identified Anderson et al. or Patton patents may be used.

In operation, the eyebolts 20 are attached to false front plate 7 which is then secured to box section 6 as described above. The cooler 5 is then placed in cooler holder 3 and keeper bar 22 and bolt 24 inserted. After the water connections are made the coolers are ready for use. By making the box 6 substantially rectangular rather than tapered with rounded corners, bricks may be readily laid therearound without requiring a lot of grout. Also more cooling water and less metal is provided at the position of maximum heat.'While the drawing shows the bricks spaced from the box 6, this'is merely to better show the cooler 5. In actual practice the bricks or grout will contact the cooler. The single row of bricks at the inner end of the box 6 quickly wear away and the end is exposed. When it is desired to inspect the cooler it is only necessary to remove the keeper bar, 22, bolt 24, the water connections, and the capscrews 15. The front plate 7 is then removed and the inside of the box 6 can be readily inspected. The cost of the complete cooler is only about half that of a standard cooler. In addition it is normally only the box section that need be replaced so that there is even a greater savings in replacement cost.

While one embodiment has been shown and described it will be apparent that various modifications may be made within the scope of my invention.

lclaim:

1. In a furnace wall including a refractory lining, an outer steel shell having an opening therethrough, and cooling apparatus extending through said opening; the improvement in said cooling apparatus comprising a front plate secured to said steel shell in alignment with said opening, a watertight box having an opening in its front end, said watertight box extending into said refractory lining, means detachably securing said box to said front plate with the front plate closing the front opening in said box, a water tight seal between said boxand front plate including matching surfaces on the rear of said front plate and the front of said box, a partition plate integral with said box and extending from the front end of said box to a position spaced from its rear wall was to divide said box into two compartments connected with an opening at their rear end, said front end opening extending over the majority of the area of the front end onboth sides of said partition plate so as to permit visual inspection of the inside of said box when said 'front plate is removed, and means for supplying a coolant through said front plate into one of said compartments and removing it from the other'of said compartments, said means for fastening the front plate to said box including fastener retaining lug means around the periphery of the front end of said box and extending transversely thereof, a plurality of spaced apart threaded holes around the periphery of said box, said front platehaving holes therethrough one associated with each of said threaded holes, and a cap screw passing through each hole in the front plate into threaded engagement with the associated threaded hole.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said box has a substantially rectangular vertical longitudinal section and a substantially rectangular horizontal longitudinal section.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said partition plate is a central vertical plate.

4. Apparatus according to claim I, in which said box is an iron casting.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said front plate is rolled steel and said box is an iron casting.

t 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a pair of openings through said front plate, one on each side of said center plate, an eyebolt secured in each of said pair of openings with its eye on the outside of said front plate, a rod passing through the said eyes and secured from movement therethrough, and a keeper bar secured to said outer shell and extending generally vertically between said eyebolts, said keeper bar having an opening therethrough for receiving said rod.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 including a cooling plate holder attached to said steel shell and having an opening for receiving said front plate, the opening in said holder having a shape substantially the same as that of said front plate. 

1. In a furnace wall including a refractory lining, an outer steel shell having an opening therethrough, and cooling apparatus extending through said opening; the improvement in said cooling apparatus comprising a front plate secured to said steel shell in alignment with said opening, a watertight box having an opening in its front end, said watertight box extending into said refractory lining, means detachably securing said box to said front plate with the front plate closing the front opening in said box, a water tight seal between said box and front plate including matching surfaces on the rear of said front plate and the front of said box, a partition plate integral with said box and extending from the front end of said box to a position spaced from its rear wall so as to divide said box into two compartments connected with an opening at their rear end, said front end opening extending over the majority of the area of the front end on both sides of said partition plate so as to permit visual inspection of the inside of said box when said front plate is removed, and means for supplying a coolant through said front plate into one of said compartments and removing it from the other of said compartments, said means for fastening the front plate to said box including fastener retaining lug means around the periphery of the front end of said box and extending transversely thereof, a plurality of spaced apart threaded holes around the periphery of said box, said front plate having holes therethrough one associated with each of said threaded holes, and a cap screw passing through each hole in the front plate into threaded engagement with the associated threaded hole.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said box has a substantially rectangular vertical longitudinal section and a substantially rectangular horizontal longitudinal section.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said partition plate is a central vertical plate.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said box is an iron casting.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said front plate is rolled steel and said box is an iron casting.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a pair of openings through said front plate, one on each side of said center plate, an eyebolt secured in each of said pair of openings with its eye on the outside of said front plate, a rod passing through the said eyes and secured from movement therethrough, and a keeper bar secured to said outer shell and extending generally vertically between said eyebolts, said keeper bar having an opening therethrough for receiving said rod.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 6 including a cooling plate holder attached to said steel shell and having an opening for receiving said front plate, the opening in said holder having a shape substantially the same as that of said front plate. 